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Caring for Children with Incarcerated Parents

Caring for Children with Incarcerated Parents. Jennifer Scholes, M.A. Portland State University Child Welfare Partnership. Learning Objectives. Participants will identify children’s experience of their parents’ incarceration

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Caring for Children with Incarcerated Parents

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  1. Caring for Children with Incarcerated Parents Jennifer Scholes, M.A. Portland State University Child Welfare Partnership

  2. Learning Objectives Participants will • identify children’s experience of their parents’ incarceration • be able to describe the needs of children with incarcerated parents

  3. Participants will also • be able to describe specific strategies designed to meet the needs of children with incarcerated parents • recognize the importance of keeping children connected with incarcerated parents, when appropriate

  4. Impact of Incarceration • When a parent goes to prison, in a sense the whole family is incarcerated. • There are no rights for children of incarcerated parents, within any system that is involved.

  5. Our Perceptions “What kind of parent goes to prison?”

  6. Child’s experience of the arrest • A 4 year old’s experience • A 9 year old’s experience • A 12 year old’s experience

  7. What would you need?

  8. Break Time • 10 minutes

  9. Tonight’s language lesson: Please choose from the following list of words to fill in the blanks. incarcerated inmates jail* offenders prison* parole probation *These words may be used more than once.

  10. Who should children see? • It depends Legal plan Casework plan

  11. Aren’t prisons an awful place to take a child? • Easy answer: Yes • What’s the alternative? • Visitation set up at the prison?

  12. What do children experience? • Trauma • Grief and loss • For some, relief • Shame and stigma

  13. Children’s needs • Help with their emotions • Answers from or about their parent Where are you? Why are you in prison (or jail)? When are you coming home? Are you OK?

  14. In summary, children of incarcerated parents need To know • it’s not their fault • what is happening to their parent • if they can have contact - when and how

  15. And… • Where and with whom they’ll live • Where they’ll go to school • What will stay the same/ what will change • It’s OK to both love their parent AND be angry

  16. And… • Encouraged to talk about their feelings • Visit and maintain contact as much as possible, when/if appropriate • Realize that people make choices in life that lead to consequences

  17. “What About Us?” • OSU School of Journalism • Parent/relative/child perspectives on visits

  18. Break Time! • 10 minutes

  19. If you visit…overview • Your role • When you get to the prison • Visiting room • Do’s and don’ts • If you need help during the visit

  20. Other ways to have contact • Telephone calls • Letters • “Serials” • No: e-mails, cell phones, texts

  21. Kids also need… • To have “prison-free” time • To have fun

  22. Some Resources • Girl Scouts Beyond Bars Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035-3270 (503) 620-4567 (800) 338-5248 - Local Toll Free Phone Email: girlscouts@juliette.org Web Site: http://www.girlscoutscrc.org

  23. Parenting Inside Out • Communications • Problem solving • Non-violent discipline • Interrupting crime cycle

  24. Oregon CURE • Orientations for Families/Friends • Support groups

  25. What happens when Mom or Dad is released? • 30 days to “make magic happen” • Post-incarceration adjustment • Transition Services – Susan Ziglinzki 503.988.3820 (Multnomah)

  26. Coffee Creek • Women’s prison • 1,684 beds • Important contacts Minimum security Cynthia – 503.570.6509 Medium security Stephanie – 503.570.6793

  27. Thank you for participating When a parent goes to prison, everyone in the family goes to prison. Children aren’t free until their parents are.

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